Some say the best way out of a slump is to keep things simple. For example, imagine swinging a bat in your own backyard. For Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera, this requires little in the way of a stretched imagination—he literally grew up on the other side of the knothole from his hometown’s baseball stadium. Youth was served in Miguel¹s rapid rise to the majors, and now as he makes the Comerica Park look like a band box. But did anyone really expect him to be batting cleanup in the World Series, leading the league in homers by age 25, and winning the first Triple Crown in 45 years? Actually, yes. This is his story…

GROWING
UP

Jose Miguel Torres
Cabrera was born on April 18, 1983 in Maracay, Venezuela. (Click
here for a complete listing of today's sports birthdays.) Baseball was
in his blood from the time he entered the world. His parents, Miguel and
Gregoria, met on a baseball diamond. Both had been excellent players in
their day.

Miguel’s father was a highly regarded amateur player
whose dreams of a pro career ultimately went unfulfilled. Miguel’s
mother was the shortstop on the Venezuelan national softball team for
14 years. She spent many years after that tutoring kids in Maracay. Her brother, David Torres,
signed with the St. Louis Cardinals and made it to Class-AA before his career stalled.

Miguel grew up as
a baseball brat. When he wasn’t toddling around the dugout at Gregoria’s
games or playing with his father and uncle, all he had to do to watch
a game was hop the fence that separated his backyard from the rightfield
line at Maracay Stadium, which was later named for Uncle David, who died
of a heart attack in 1997. In the year before he passed away, Torres
worked with Miguel almost every day, imparting to him his baseball wisdom
and warning him of the pitfalls a young Venezuelan could expect to encounter
in North American baseball.

For the Cabreras,
life revolved around family—and baseball. Miguel lived with his
mom and dad and younger sister Ruth in the La Padrera neighborhood, a
poor area of his hometown. They were very close and got along with each
other very well—provided the kids obeyed their parents and worked
hard in school.

Miguel’s father, who later became an auto mechanic, remembered
the heartbreak of his fizzled baseball career. He didn’t want the
same thing for his son, so he asked Miguel to focus on becoming an engineer.
But the youngster couldn’t stop thinking about baseball. He often
fantasized about following in the footsteps of Dave Concepcion, the shortstop
for Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine in the 1970s who was also a native
of Maracay.

Basketball
and volleyball also occupied Miguel’s time, but his thoughts were
riveted to baseball. By the age of six, he was
good enough to play in national competitions. He even confided in his
grandmother Norbeta that he wanted to play in the big leagues.

Miguel
and his sister spent a good part of their childhood practicing with a stick
as a bat and a wad of paper as a baseball. By the time Miguel reached
his teenage years, Concepcion had become his primary mentor. Unlike the
stick-thin rookie who debuted for the Reds in 1970, Miguel was already
stocky and powerful, Though he possessed only average speed, he had a
strong arm and a potent bat.

By the age 14, Miguel
was confident enough in his abilities to tell his father that he had decided
to pursue a pro career. The elder Cabrera said he would support his son,
provided his schoolwork didn’t slip and he got his high school diploma.

The baseball bird
dogs had already started sniffing around after Miguel at this point. The
Minnesota Twins sent scouting director Mike Radcliff to Venezuela
to evaluate him. The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers were also
hot on Miguel’s trail. His favorite team was the Florida Marlins.
He watched them win the 1997 World Series with key contributions from
fellow Latinos Livan Hernandez and Edgar Renteria.

Florida scout Louie
Eljaua held a workout for Miguel, who amazed him with his maturity and
power. Eljaua called the Marlins brass and implored them to get out their
checkbook. The bidding war for Miguel escalated when the Dodgers and Yankees
both intimated they’d go as high as $2 million.

The Marlins, however,
had the inside track. Their offer—$1.8 million—was more than
generous enough, but Miguel’s parents were most impressed by the
team’s commitment to developing young Hispanic players. He signed with Florida in July of 1999. Rumor has
it that George Steinbrenner was so furious that he fired three of his
Venezuela scouts.

In the meantime, Miguel accelerated
his baseball education. That summer, still
a year away from joining the Marlins, he picked up invaluable experience
playing for the equivalent of a farm team in Venezuela’s Winter
League.

ON THE RISE

Miguel was assigned
to Florida’s team in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League to start
the 2000 campaign. At 6-2 and 185 pounds, he was bigger than most prospects
from Latin American countries. His skills were also advanced. Miguel had
a wonderful feel for the strike zone, could spray the ball to all fields
and responded well in the clutch. Defensively, he was somewhat limited
at shortstop, but he had good hands and a rifle for an arm.

In 57 games in the
GCL, Miguel hit .260 and showed gap power with 10 doubles, two triples
and two home runs. He also scored 38 runs and drove in 22. The Marlins
rewarded Miguel by promoting him to Utica of the New York Penn
League. There, in eight games, he batted .250 with six RBIs.

Dave Concepcion,
1985 Fun Foods

Miguel
spent another offseason in winter ball back home in Venezuela. With a
month to go in the campaign, he was called up to the Aragua Tigers, who
installed him as their starting shortstop in place of Giomar Guevara.
The teenager never blinked in the face of the pressure. In 27 games against
what amounted to Triple-A competition, he posted a respectable .253 average.

Heading into 2001,
Miguel was ready for another important year in his development. The Marlins
bumped him up to the Kane County Cougars of the Midwest League.
There, he teamed with first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, the first overall pick in the
2000 draft, Miguel began the season at shortstop. Cougars manager Russ
Mormon was charged with ushering both blue-chip prospects along on their
way to the majors.

For Miguel, the ’01
campaign got off to a rocky start. Through the season’s first month,
he was slumping at the plate and lost in the field. By early May, he
had already committed 19 errors. Some in the organization wondered whether
he wouldn’t be better served by a move to third base.

But Miguel fought
through his struggles. Hitting coach Matt Winters helped by changing the
youngster’s stance slightly, convincing him to be taller and more
upright in the batter’s box. Over the next two months, Miguel raised
his batting average to .279. He was most dangerous with runners on base.
In one 37-game stretch, he drove home 35 runs and hit .467 with the bases
loaded. Miguel also solved his problems in the field, cutting down significantly
on his miscues.

In July, he and Gonzalez
were both selected for the Futures Game during the All-Star weekend in
Seattle. The Marlins, meanwhile, were thrilled that the pair had become
close friends. Miguel was still learning the English language, so the
California-born Gonzalez was the perfect running mate for him.

In the Futures Games, Miguel showed some nerves perhaps the first time in his young career.
Stepping onto Safeco Field was an eye-opening experience for him. So was
seeing Alex Rodriguez in person. As the DH for the World team, Miguel went
0-for-2 with a walk. His hitless day was also partly the result of his
cross-country journey to the Great Northwest. Miguel had suffered from
a stiff back earlier in the year, and switching planes a couple of times
didn’t exactly loosen it up.

The rest of 2001 proceeded
a lot smoother for Miguel. He ended the year at .268 with 30 extra-base
hits and 66 RBIs. He also distinguished himself in the field with the
strongest arm in the Midwest League.

After another offseason
of winter ball, Miguel joined the Jupiter Hammerheads of the Florida State League. There he transitioned to a new position, third
base. The Marlins actually instituted the change in spring training, at
the request of assistant coach Ozzie Guillen. The former All-Star shortstop
had followed Miguel’s progress closely through the minors and felt
he was better suited for the hot corner. Interested in finding the fastest
path to the majors, Miguel didn’t fight the move at all.

While the defensive
adjustment to third took some time, Miguel didn’t skip a beat at
the plate. By July, his average stood at .277, and he led the Hammerheads
with 45 RBIs. For the second year in a row, Miguel got the nod for the
Futures Game. More relaxed this time around, he picked up two singles
for the World team.

By this time, Miguel
was also adjusting to married life. On June 17, he tied the knot with
Rosangel, his high school sweetheart. The couple exchanged vows in a civil
ceremony.

Miguel stayed hot
over the final months for Jupiter. In 124 games, he batted .274 and added
43 doubles and 75 RBIs. Though his power had yet to show itself—Miguel
recorded only nine homers in 489 at-bats—the Marlins weren’t concerned.
Miguel’s knowledge of the strike zone was excellent, and it was
only a matter of time before he began driving the ball.

Adrian Gonzalez, 2001 Heritage

The Marlins and Miguel
figured he would spend at least one more season in the minors developing
his power stroke. He started the 2003 campaign with the Carolina Mudcats
of the Double-A Carolina League. Among his teammates was a high-kicking,
crooked hat-wearing lefty named Dontrelle Willis. The two made life for
Carolina manager Tracy Woodson very easy. Both had big-league talent,
and both were willing to work hard on their weaknesses. Not that either showed
many.

Midway through June,
Miguel was tearing up the CL. In April, he hit .402, and by June his average
stood at .365, with 10 homers and 59 RBIs.

Things weren’t
going nearly as well for the Marlins. For the first time since its 1997
championship, the team had entered the season with an eye toward the playoffs.
The lineup was solid with center fielder Juan Pierre and second baseman
Luis Castillo unnerving pitchers with their speed. Catcher Pudge Rodriguez, third baseman Mike Lowell and first baseman
Derek Lee formed the heart of the order. At shortstop, Alex Gonzalez
provided flashy defense and surprising power. The pitching staff was stacked
with young arms. Josh Beckett, A.J. Burnett, Brad Penny, Mark Redman and
Carl Pavano constituted one of the most promising rotations in the league,
while Braden Looper was at times unhittable out of the pen.

But
manager Jeff Torborg couldn’t get the pieces to fit. Injuries played
a role, but the Marlins hadn’t clicked when healthy. By
early May, Florida was languishing six games under .500, sinking in
the standings beneath the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies. The
front office tried everything to jump-start the club. In May, the Marlins called up Willis. Two
days later, Torborg was fired and replaced by 72-year-old Jack McKeon.

McKeon’s unconventional
managing style stirred up the Marlins, who began turning things around.
But the club was still losing as often as it won. Looking for another
spark, Florida made another bold move. On June 20, the team promoted Miguel
to the big leagues. Lowell was having a sensational year at third, so
the Marlins plugged the 21-year-old into left field.

Carolina skipper Woodson had been preparing
Miguel for this shift in positions, but he was still learning the ropes.
The Marlins asked Andre Dawson to take a break from his front office job
and tutor the youngster. Miguel took well to the lessons, picking up valuable
insight about breaking on flyballs, throwing to the correct base and aligning
himself properly against different hitters.

Miguel’s debut
came in an interleague game against the (then) Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Hitless
in his first four at-bats, including a groundout in the bottom of the
ninth with two runners on, he launched a walk-off home run to dead center
in the 11th off Al Levine. As Miguel and his teammates celebrated, the
stats freaks hit the record books. Miguel was the sixth-youngest player
to homer in his first game, behind Scott Stratton (1888), Whitey Lockman
(1945), Denny McLain (1963), Ted Tappe (1950) and Clint Hurdle (1977).
He was also the third Venezuelan player to go deep in his debut, joining
Alex Cabrera and his teammate Gonzalez.

Miguel’s father
didn’t learn any of this until the following day. He had been tracking
the game over the Internet, but fell asleep after the ninth. When he read
the headlines the next morning, he bought every newspaper at his local
bodega.

Miguel hit safely
in four of his next five games, and then went 0-for-15 to end the month. The
rookie made the necessary adjustments and opened July with a four-hit,
four-RBI effort against the Atlanta Braves, the top team in the National League East. He
remained hot all month long, batting .318 with five homers, eight doubles
and 21 runs knocked in. He was named the league’s Rookie of the
Month, following the lead of Willis, who had earned the honor in June.

With Miguel helping
to re-energize the Marlins, the team started a run for the Wild Card.
Florida suffered a setback when Lowell went down with a broken bone in
his left hand, but GM Larry Beinfest swung into action with a trade for
Jeff Conine. A member of the 1997 World Series champs, Comine assumed
the leftfield job and Miguel came in to play third. Beinfest also acquired
Ugueth Urbina to solidify the bullpen.

Dontrelle Willis,
2004 Upper Deck Vintage

Miguel’s
position change didn't phase him at all. Growing more comfortable in his new
surroundings, he settled into a nice groove. Miguel wasn't afraid to ask
questions of his veteran teammates or put in extra hours on the practice
field. The hard work paid dividends. In August, he posted an 11-game
hitting streak, raising his average to .279.

By September, the
Marlins had passed the Philadelphia Phillies in the race for the Wild Card. Midway
through the month, Miguel belted a three-run homer against the Braves
to give Willis his 13th victory of the year. The win was the club’s
seventh in a row, pushing Florida to 18 games over .500.

Philly battled back
in the ensuing weeks, but Florida would not be denied. The Marlins secured
their first playoff berth since 1997 as the regular season drew to a close.
Miguel finished the year at .268 with 36 extra-base hits. He was at his
best with runners in scoring position. He posted a .375 average
in RBI situations, which tied him for fourth in the league.

The Marlins entered
the postseason a confident bunch. Though Willis was tiring, the rest
of the staff was rounding into shape, while the offense had evolved into
one of baseball’s most opportunistic. With Lowell returning to health,
McKeon was forced to re-examine Miguel’s role, especially after he went
hitless in eight at-bats with four strikeouts during the first two games
of the Division Series against the San Francisco Giants.

McKeon chose to sit Miguel for Game 3 and reinserted Lowell in the lineup. Although the All-Star third baseman looked rusty in his return, Florida
won to take a 2-1 series advantage. With a chance to send the Giants
packing, McKeon shuffled the deck again, moving Miguel to right field.
Eager to reward his skipper, he had a huge day. It began with a great
catch on a flyball off the bat of Barry Bonds and ended with four hits
and three RBIs in a thrilling 7-6 victory.

Up next for the Marlins
were the surging Chicago Cubs and their pair of aces, Mark Prior and Kerry
Wood, in the National League Championship Series. Florida seized an early
edge, with a split at Wrigley Field. When Miguel homered off Carlos Zambrano
in Game 1, he became the second-youngest player to leave the yard in
the postseason (behind Andruw Jones). He also launched a home run the
following day against Prior.

When the series shifted
to Florida, the Cubs appeared to put themselves in control with a pair
of wins. But the Marlins responded with three straight victories. Game
6 provided the defining moment of the series, as Florida scored eight
times in the eighth in front of a stunned crowd at Wrigley.

In
the decider, Miguel clouted a three-run homer off Wood, setting the tone
for Florida’s 9-6 win. Beckett, who pitched magnificently, was named
NLCS MVP, overshadowing Miguel’s performance. For the series, the
youngster batted .333 with three homers and six RBIs.

Miguel Cabrera,
Black Book Partners archives

In the World Series,
the Marlins continued to shock the baseball world. Matched against the
mighty New York Yankees, they won the championship in six games. Beckett was brilliant again, blanking the Bronx
Bombers in the finale. Miguel’s personal highlight was a home run
off Roger Clemens in Game 4. As they had for every postseason contest, his family
gathered together and watched the action in Maracay. By now, Miguel had moved
his parents and sister to a big apartment in a nicer section of town.

Miguel walked away
from his first postseason with 12 RBIs and a championship ring. Equally
remarkable was the fact that at no time did he look the least bit awestruck
or uncomfortable. His teammates kept waiting for the moment to catch up
with him, but it never did, despite pressure that would have buckled seasoned
veterans.

Even the demands of
national celebrity didn't faze Miguel. The rookie was besieged by the media
and endorsement offers when he flew back home after the World Series.
Named Venezuelan Sportsman of the Year, Miguel became his country’s
hottest pitchman. His most notable commercial was a TV spot for Malton,
a nonalcoholic drink.

Fans couldn’t
get enough of him, either. Leaving his home turned into a major ordeal,
as autograph seekers wouldn’t leave him alone.

This level of celebrity
was an excellent primer for the 2004 campaign. After their second world
title in seven years, the Marlins had the spotlight focused squarely on
them. The team pulled off a couple of moves to prepare for the defense
of their championship. Lee was shipped to the Cubs for Hee Seop Choi,
Rodriguez skipped town via free agency, and Armando Benitez was signed
as the new closer.

Nobody
received more attention than Miguel. Critics wondered whether he was a
flash in the pan, while supporters wanted to see him build on his amazing
rookie campaign. Miguel showed up for spring training in the best shape
of his life, the result of a vigorous offseason conditioning program
that turned his remaining baby fat into muscle.

Miguel opened the '04
season batting over .300 and staying with the league leaders in
homers, RBIs and slugging. As Florida struggled to gel after its myriad
lineup changes, it was Miguel’s bat that boosted the franchise to
the best April in its history. He continued to produce into the summer. In July, Miguel was named to the
NL All-Star team. At the time, he was hitting .295 with
20 homers and 59 RBIs.

Heading into the
second half, Miguel and the Marlins were confident they could turn it
on as they had in '03. Despite their 45-43 record, they were still within
a few games of Philadelphia for the NL East lead. When the club
was still hovering around .500 two weeks later, management felt it had
to make a move. Penny and Choi were dealt to Los Angeles for catcher
Paul Lo Duca, former Marlin Juan Encarnacion, and set-up man Guillermo Mota.

Initially, the trade did nothing to stir Florida. The Marlins went 11-11 in the weeks
that followed and lost crucial ground in the division. They reversed
the slide with a nine-game winning streak starting in late August. By
then, the Wild Card was their only real hope. But Florida could not sustain
its momentum. The team finished third in the NL East and watched as the
Houston Astros surged to the fourth and final playoff spot.

Of the problems that
sunk the Marlins—banged up starting pitching and inconsistent years
from Pierre and Castillo being the chief culprits—Miguel was not
one of them. Offensively, he had a fantastic season. Florida's best run
producer, he batted .294 with 33 homers, 112 RBIs, and 101 runs scored.
Miguel's club-leading 148 strikeouts were somewhat alarming. But given
his power numbers, the Marlins had no reason to change his free-swinging
ways.

Unflappable as always,
Miguel had adjusted well to being an everyday outfielder. McKeon bounced
him between right and left, and Miguel had his lapses every now and then.
Overall, however, he proved an adequate defender.

Miguel
enjoyed his finest season yet in 2005. He wound up in the NL's Top Five
in batting average (.323) and RBIs (116), tied his career high with 33
homers and set personal bests with 106 runs and 43 doubles. An All-Star
for the second time, Miguel rose to the status of baseball's elite sluggers.
But it was some late-season problems off the field that earned him the
most headlines.

With the Marlins underachieving
most the year, the club staggered down the stretch and finished far out
of the playoffs. Players questioned whether McKeon had outlived his usefullness.
Management agreed and canned the veteran skipper.

Clearly, Florida needed
a new voice. Miguel made the mistake of opening his mouth at the wrong
time. Late in the year, he blasted his teammates, coaches and anyone else
who had tried to give him advice during the season. The outburst caught
many by surprise, especially since it seemed unprovoked. Miguel had demonstrated
a certain immaturity at times earlier in his career, but never had he
been exposed as such a disruptive force.

Josh Beckett, 2003 Patchworks

Miguel let his bat do the talking in 2006. Sandwiched in the batting order between breakout rookies Josh Willingham and Dan Uggla, he boosted his average to .339, adding 26 homers and 114 RBIs. Miguel and Freddy Sanchez went down to the wire for the NL batting title, with the Pittsburgh Pirates infielder winning by five points short.

Enemy pitchers didn’t give Miguel much to hit during the season, as witnessed by his 86 walks. This translated into a career-best .430 on-base percentage. Despite a 78-win season by the Marlins, Miguel received a respectable number of MVP votes, finishing fifth in the balloting.

The 2007 season was Miguel’s last with the Marlins. He received a huge raise through arbitration prior to spring training and would earn even more going forward, making his retention by Florida unlikely. Miguel started with a bang, earning Player of the Week honors in early April. He ended up having another fine year at the plate, batting .320 and establishing new career highs with 34 homers and 119 RBIs. One of those ribbies was number 500—only Mel Ott and Ted Williams had reached this plateau at a younger age.

After the season, the Marlins decided to rebuild. Miguel was their biggest trade chip, so Florida dealt him and Willis to the Tigers for a package of prospects that included Cameron Maybin. Detroit was just one year off a surprising pennant, but the club had had regressed to 88 wins in ’07. With Miguel’s arrival in Motor City, the big question was where he would play. Manager Jim Leyland decided the best fit was first base, flip-flopping him with Carlos Guillen.

Miguel had a great year at the plate—leading the league with 37 homers and 331 total bases—but his contributions alone could not make up for an otherwise sluggish offense and underachieving pitching staff. The Tigers finished fifth in the American League Central. Miguel led the club in hits, doubles and RBIs. He was rewarded with an eight-year deal worth over $150 million.

Miguel opened 2009 with a grand slam in the season’s first game. He added 33 more round-trippers before the year was up and topped the 100-RBI mark for the sixth year in a row. That feat landed him in elite company among active players. Only Alex Rodriguez, Bobby Abreu and Albert Pujols had recorded an unbroken string of triple-digit RBI seasons six years in a row.

The Tigers rebounded from their poor ’08 campaign to finish with 86 wins, but the improvement was hollow. Detroit fashioned a seven-game lead in the division by the end of August, only to see it slip away in the final weeks. Magglio Orodnez suffered a frustrating power outage, Guillen was crippled by injuries, and key hitters such as Curtis Granderson and Placido Polanco failed to deliver in the clutch. The Tigers fumbled away a three-game lead to the Minnesota Twins with four games to play, and then lost a one-game playoff to their rivals in the 12th inning. It was, by any measure, a historic collapse.

Despite his lusty hitting, Miguel was part of the problem. For the second time in his career, he made unwelcome headlines away from the field. The pressure of the stretch run contributed to a drinking binge that ended with a domestic disturbance call from his wife to the police. The next day Miguel went 0–4 in a key loss to the Chicago White Sox. To his credit, he underwent treatment for his alcohol abuse right after the season ended.

Miguel Cabrera, 2006 Heritage

The offseason saw a predictable number of comings and goings in Detroit. Granderson, Polanco, and starters Nate Robertson and Edwin Jackson went elsewhere, while newcomers included closer Jose Valverde and outfielders Johnny Damon and Austin Jackson. Miguel looked like a new man in the spring of 2010. For the season’s first day, he was among the major-league leaders in homers, extra-base hits, batting average and RBIs.

Miguel and Rosangel celebrated the birth of their second daughter in May. He seemed at ease in his role as team leader. For the first time, he was named to AL All- Star squad.

The Tigers never put much of a run together in the second half and finished with an 81­81 record. There were no complaints about Miguel¹s performance. He led AL first basemen with a .328 average and blasted a career-high 38 home runs. His 128 RBIs were tops in the league, and he finished runner-up to Josh Hamilton for the MVP award.

Miguel had an even better season in 2011. He batted .344—best in the majors—and led the AL with 48 doubles and a .448 on-base percentage. He and DH Victor Martinez each drove in over 100 runs as the Tigers won the AL Central by 15 games. The big star was Justin Verlander, who went 24­5 with a 2.40 ERA and 250 strikeouts. He won the Cy Young Award and MVP. Miguel finished fifth in the voting behind Verlander.

The Tigers faced the Yankees in the opening round of the playoffs. New York took Game 1 in Yankee Stadium, but Detroit tied the series in Game 2. Miguel blasted a home run to right field in the first inning to give the Tigers a lead they never relinquished. The teams split the next two games, setting up a do-or-die Game 5 back in New York. The Tigers grabbed an early lead and held it to win the series.

The Tigers met the Texas Rangers for the pennant. Texas won the first two games, but Detroit rebounded Game 3, thanks in part to a homer by Miguel. In Game 4, he was thrown out as the go-ahead run at home tagging on a fly ball. The Rangers came out on top in 11 innings to take a commanding lead in the series. Detroit won Game 5, and Miguel was part of an historic sixth inning when he doubled after a Ryan Raburn single. Victor Martinez followed with a triple, and then Delmon Young homered. It was the first "natural cycle" for a team in postseason play.

That was the final victory for the Tigers in 2011. Two days later, the Rangers scored nine runs in the third inning on their way to a 15­5 victory and a trip to the World Series. Miguel hit two more homers for a total of three in the series. He batted .400 with seven RBIs in a losing cause.

Miguel Cabrera, 2010 Heritage

MAKING HIS MARK

The Tigers got busy over the winter, signing slugger Prince Fielder away from the Milwaukee Brewers. Miguel agreed to move back to his old position at the hot corner in order for Fielder to play first base. That gave the Tigers one of baseball’s best righty-lefty power combos. In spring training, Miguel took a bad hop to the face and fractured the orbital bone under his right eye. Doctors felt he could play, and he was in the lineup on Opening Day.

The middle of the Detroit lineup was fantastic. Fielder batted .313 with 30 homers and 108 RBIs in 2012. Miguel was even better. He did it all—hitting for average and power. Whenever the Tigers needed a big hit, Miguel was there to provide it. With pitching making the headlines for most of the season around baseball, Miguel was quietly on the way to making history.

He led the Tigers to the AL Central crown with 44 homers, 139 RBIs and a .330 average. Those stats were good enough to lead the AL, making him the first Triple Crown winner since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967.

Miguel finished four points ahead of rookie Mike Trout in the batting race, one homer ahead of Josh Hamilton and Curtis Granderson, and 11 RBIs ahead of Hamilton. He also finished first in total bases and slugging, and second in runs, hits and times on base. His 205 hits marked the first time that he reached 200 in his career. Early in the season, one of Miguel¹s hits that was initially ruled a double was changed to a home run after umpires reviewed video.

Miguel was incredibly consistent all year long. He only had one or two "monster" games; the rest of the year he banged out a hit or two a game and drove five or six runs a week. Miguel was the second Tiger to win a Triple Crown—Ty Cobb won it before it had a name in 1909—and was only the second Latino to earn this honor, after Ted Williams won in 1942 and 1947.

There is no deying that Miguel is a special player, but his 2012 campaign raise his profile to a new level. He joined rare company with his Triple Crown—an accomplishment that will likely stamp his ticket to Cooperstown.

MIGUEL THE PLAYER

Prince Fielder,
Black Book Partners archives

Miguel’s combination of talent and instinct come around very rarely. Miguel can drive the ball to all fields, and he is lethal against lefties and in RBI situations. As a rule, he concentrates on hitting the ball hard, not out of the park.

Few pitchers can beat Miguel with their fastball, and they no longer can jam him all game or he’ll make them pay. His stroke is quick and compact. When he first came up, he tended to chase low curves and soft stuff off the plate. But his pitch recognition has improved rapidly, and he has made the necessary adjustments to opposing pitchers.

For all of his natural
ability, Miguel is constantly studying his craft. He turned himself
into a better-than-average right fielder in very short period of time.
He takes instruction well and is always ready to learn more. His favorite
position is third base, but he hasn't uttered a peep about his move to
the outfield.

Despite his off-field problems, Miguel is amazingly popular
in the clubhouse. As he has matured, he has developed
into a leader who’s respected as much for how he performs on the
field as for what he does off it.